Toy airplane



June 28, 1938. HORN 2,122,346

TOY AIRPLANE Filed Jan. 19, 1937 Patented June 28, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application January 19, 1937, Serial Nb. 121,357 In Germany January 31, 1936 2 Claims.

This invention relates to toy-airplanes and more particularly to toy-airplanes that are driven by means of a propeller and a clockwork and suspended from a string or cord.

As compared with known toys of the present kind, my present novel toy-airplane consists essentially therein that at the tail of the fuselage there is provided amovable tail-rudder which at the commencement of the flight is obliquely positioned and adjusted by means of said clockwork automatically into straight direction, as soon as the toy-airplane which is suspended from a cord or string has been directed into its normal,

circular flight.

By so arranging the toy-airplane the said normal circular flight will be automatically initiated from the suspended condition of the toy and after the latter has assumed normal circular motion, said tail-rudder is automatically adjusted into straight position by action of said clockwork, thus maintaining the further circular normal flying motion of the toy.

-The toy-airplane now may enter from its suspended condition into said circular normal motion in fully equalizedcondition and does not need to be thrown by hand into said motion. In addition, the novel toy-airplane when being started from said suspended condition to follow its normal circular path of motion will no more be subject to any rotation or similar motion round the suspension-cord. Also, any failure of the toy-airplane to start will be positively avoided and the latter caused to gradually move quietly and in fully equalized condition from its suspended condition first into a single spiral path of motion and thereupon into its normal circular path of motion and continuously kept therein during operation of the clockwork.

In the accompanying drawing, which forms part of this specification, I- have shown some examples of construction of my novel toy-airplane, Fig. 1 being a bottom-view of one construction of my present toy, Fig. 2 a lateral view, partly broken away, taken on Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 an enlarged partial detail view showing the clockwork and the controlling mechanism for properly steering the aforesaid tail-rudder.

In my novel toy-airplane, the hollow body or fuselage I is provided with a wing 2 detachably secured thereto. Said fuselage I is further a spring-driven clockwork 5 with a downwardly rod I0 extends into the interior of the fuselage I and is guided therein by means of the bent off end or nose of a prolonged rail I2 that forms part of the casing of the clockwork 5. On said rail I2 there is further mounted a slide I3 which is longitudinally displaceable thereon and which is under action of a retracting spring I6, said slide I3 co-operating with a cam-disk or eccentric I4 mounted on said winding-stem 6, a friction clutch I5 being inserted therebetween.

Backward rotation of the winding stem 6 which takes place during running of the clockwork will cause said cam-disk or eccentric I4 to rotate therewith, the latter now acting upon said slide I3 to displace the same in longitudinal direction, thus to push said actuating rod III for the tail-rudder 8 towards the outside and to adjust said rudder into its straight position with respect to the fuselage I. Adjustment of the rudder 8 into its oblique position, as indicated in Fig. l, is effected by hand and limited by a lateral stop II on the tail of said fuselage. In obliquely adjusted position of the rudder 8 the airplane will start from its suspended condition into its normal circular path of motion and after it has assumed this motion the rudder 8 is being moved into its straight position by action of said cam disk or eccentric I4 which is rotating with the winding-stem 6 during the running of the clockwork 5. Subsequent to the outward motion of said rod ID by action of the slide I3 and subsequent to the 'motion of the rudder 8 into straight position, further rotation of said camdisk I 4 will no more act on said rod III, that is" to say, said rudder during normal circular flight of the toy-plane will remain in the same posit-ion with respect to the fuselage. On the other hand,

. said rudder is again adjusted into its oblique position by hand after having again wound-up the clockwork.

While I have shown and described what is now thought to be a preferred embodiment of my device, yet it is to be understood that it is susceptible of other forms and expressions within the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

I claim:

1. A suspended toy airplane, comprising suspension means, a fuselage, wings, a propeller, and a rudder, said rudder being adapted to be positioned to direct said airplane into a circular course from a stationary pendant position, a rudder actuating rod having one end operatively connected to said rubber and having the other end positioned within said fuselage, a pdwer plant in said fuselage and operatively connected to said propeller to-actuate the'same to move said airplane in a generally forward direction, means associated with said power plant and operable thereby to engage the inner end of said 7 rod to move the same to position said rudder to maintain said course after the forward movement of said airplane has commenced, and said means thereafter being disengaged from said rod to permit the maintenance of said rudder in said last named position.

2. A'suspended' toy airplane, comprising suspension means, a fuselage, wings, a propeller, and a rudder, said rudder being adapted to be positioned to direct said airplane into a circular course from a stationary pendant position, a rudder actuating rod having one end operatively connected to said rudder and having the other end positioned within said fuselage, a power plant in said fuselage and operatively connected to said propeller to actuate the same to move said airplane in a generally forward direction, a rotating cam operatively connected for rotation to said power plant, a rail member in said fuselage, a slide mounted on said rail member, spring means normally maintaining said slide adjacent one end of said rail. said slide being engageable with said cam for sliding movement against the action of said spring, a portion of said slide during said movement being adapted to engage'the inner end of said rod and move the same therewith in a direction to move said rudder from said first named position to a position to maintain said course, said slide being t'hereafter disengaged from said rod-to permit the maintenance of said rudder in said last named position.

ERTNST HORN. 

